1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a metal cable tie. In particular, the invention relates to a metal cable tie that includes a flat metal strip, which may be placed around a cable or a cable bundle to be secured, and a head piece, located at one end of the metal strip through which the free end of the metal strip is pulled and locked.
2. Description of Related Art
In conventional metal cable ties, the head piece is designed as a metal capsule that forms a chamber that tapers conically opposite the direction in which the free end of the metal tie is pulled, and houses a locking ball. The locking ball is movable for a short distance in the chamber between a release position in an area of the chamber, in which the locking ball allows the metal strip to be pulled through the head, and a locking position in the narrower area of the chamber where the locking ball jams between the conical chamber wall and the metal strip and acts as a locking wedge to prevent the metal strip from sliding backward under the influence of a tensioning force acting on it.
A metal cable tie is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,592. The head piece is designed as a bent piece of sheet metal with a capsule part formed by deep drawing. The capsule part is open at the front and has a stamped tab that is bent after the locking ball is inserted to hold the ball in the capsule. One end of the metal strip is latched in the lower part of the head piece. The upper part of the head piece is formed by the capsule. The height of the capsule is just sufficient to receive the ball in the release position with the necessary play for movement. Further, the covering wall of the capsule expands conically in order to cooperate with the locking ball in a clamping fashion.